


Out of Left Field

by la_muerta



Series: A Game of Pitch and Catch [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Sports, Background Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood, Baseball Player Alec Lightwood, But that's why I love him, Developing Relationship, Doctor Magnus Bane, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Homophobic Language, M/M, Magnus Bane is a Little Shit, Phone Sex, Sports Team Rivalry, Tantric Sex, background Lydia Branwell/John Monteverde
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-06 06:04:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14635617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_muerta/pseuds/la_muerta
Summary: Alec and Magnus didn't expect this attraction between them, but they'd agreed to give it a chance. And if this was going to be more than just sex, then it made sense to take sex off the table for now... or at least that was the game plan.Well. When life throws you curveballs, there's only one thing to do - knock it out of the park!





	1. First Base

  

Alec closed his eyes. Lips on his neck, hot and wet and picking out all his sensitive spots with easy familiarity. Fingers ghosting up and down his arms, the cool metal of the rings contrasting sharply with the heat of his own body, and the heat of the body pressed up against him on the couch. He already had a hand on Magnus' thigh. Just a few more inches upwards, and-

"Mmm easy there," Magnus laughed softly, pulling away from Alec immediately and placing one hand on Alec's to stop its progress. 

Alec groaned in frustration, opening his eyes to look at the infuriatingly beautiful man grinning at him. 

"You're the one who suggested it - no sex, because apparently we can't behave like rational human beings when we've got our dicks out," Magnus reminded him. 

"I did," Alec sighed. 

"Even if there isn't a day that you don't regret it?" Magnus teased.

"Something like that." 

Magnus laughed. "I'll get us some drinks. Beer, or something stronger?"

"I probably shouldn't," Alec admitted.

"Oh, of course. Your diet," Magnus said, sounding apologetic that he'd forgotten. "I have apple juice?"

"Um, water would probably be better. Thanks."

Alec let Magnus get off the couch reluctantly. It was hard to remember why he'd even suggested the no-sex rule when he had Magnus in his arms, but he knew there'd been a good reason for it. The fact was, they'd known _of_ each other for years, but they barely knew each other at all. He could count on one hand the things he knew about Magnus: head of the paediatric ward Izzy worked at, Baltimore Orioles fan, helped run a non-profit for youth-at-risk in his spare time, voted for the Dems - most of this was stuff you'd probably be able to find on a résumé. And he'd bet that most of what Magnus knew about him was stuff you could find off Google. 

After Izzy's New Year's Eve party, they'd had a good long talk about what they both wanted from this relationship. And the truth was, they both knew this was going to take a lot of work, and it wasn't even about Magnus supporting a rival baseball team. They both had a lot going on in their lives - Magnus admitted that sometimes he got so caught up in his work that he slept on the couch he had in his office, and with the baseball season coming up, Alec was pretty much going to be living and breathing baseball until October. Both of them had had people they were dating back off because of how intense their lives could get, and it was so much worse with _both_ of them being so dedicated to very time- and energy-consuming jobs. If this was going to be more than just sex, then they would have to use their limited time to actually get to know each other, instead of jumping each other's bones at every opportune moment.

So they were going to take it slow. Go on dates, hang out. Except that even finding time for dates had proved to be rather difficult. They'd managed two lunch dates before Alec had had to leave for Florida for spring training, and they were currently on their third date, a movie followed by drinks at Magnus' place, in the little window of time they'd managed to squeeze out between Alec coming back from Florida and the season starting proper the day after.

They were taking it so slow, Alec thought they might finally be comfortable enough to have sex again when they were both octogenarians in a nursing home. He hoped they'd still be fit enough to manage rocking chair sex. 

"How was spring training?" Magnus asked as he poured out their drinks - water for Alec, a martini for himself.

"Pretty good. Spent some time helping Luke get my pitching staff into shape," Alec replied, getting up to lean against the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. "I'm sorry I had to miss our first Valentine's Day, though."

"It's ok," Magnus smiled. "I got the roses and the teddy that you had delivered to the hospital."

"Yeah?" Alec wasn't sure Magnus had received it, because he hadn't mentioned it at all the whole night. And Alec hadn't seen the teddy anywhere around Magnus' place either, although he was probably being silly. It'd been a fun gift, meant to be partly ironic and mocking the commercialisation of it all. 

But Magnus seemed to guess what he was thinking. "I gave the teddy to one of my colleague's patients, a little girl. She was going into heart surgery," Magnus explained. 

"Oh, that's nice," Alec said, feeling relieved. That _was_ a much better use of his gift. 

"The roses are still in my office. It was very sweet of you..." Magnus said, his smile turning mischievous. "...if a little trite." 

"Trite, huh?" Alec said, pretending to sound offended. 

"And that _card_ , Alexander," Magnus tutted. "It said 'I love you to the moon and back, now and forever'." 

Alec couldn't hold in his snort of laughter. "Well, at least I got you something. You didn't even get me a card," he said with mock belligerence.    

"That's because I was going to give it to you in person," Magnus replied. He set their drinks down in the coffee table and disappeared into his bedroom while Alec settled back on the couch. After a while, he returned with a small parcel. "Open it."

Alec raised an eyebrow at him and carefully peeled off the wrapping paper. It was a jockstrap. "Magnus!" 

"Why, do you not wear them? I thought it was an athlete thing," Magnus said innocently. 

"As if this no-sex thing wasn't already hard enough."

"Oh believe me, darling, it's hard for me too. I just needed some motivation to get through this."

Alec snaked a hand around Magnus' waist and pulled him closer. "Uh huh. And your motivation would be?"  

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" Magnus grinned. 

"I do," Alec murmured, nuzzling Magnus' neck. 

"Your lovely ass on display in that, bent over while I slide my fingers inside you... fuck, _Alexander_ -" Magnus turned his body more fully towards Alec, one hand tangling in his hair while Alec nipped at his pulse point. 

"Sounds great. Too bad we're going to have to wait to do that," Alec smirked as he pulled away from Magnus. 

He grabbed his glass of water, downing half of it in one go to distract himself from how much Magnus' words had affected him, and was pleased to note that Magnus was still breathing heavily, his eyes squeezed shut. 

"Ok, I walked right into that one," Magnus muttered.  

Alec grinned and pressed his lips to Magnus' to kiss away his pout, lingering just a little longer than he'd intended to. 

"Well, we came up here to your place because you said it'd be quieter and a better place to talk, but all we've done is make out. If I didn't know better, I'd say you got me up here so you could try to convince me to model that jockstrap for you," Alec said teasingly. 

"How do you know _I_ wasn't going to offer to model it for _you_?" Magnus asked slyly. 

Alec rolled his eyes. "Do you know that Jace has a betting pool going on how long it's going to take for us to snap and, I quote, 'just start fucking each other so hard neither will be walking right for a week'?"

"Your brother is very charming," Magnus said wryly. "But yes, point taken. We're supposed to be talking. Although there are so many other fun things I'd rather be doing with my mouth. Hmm. And your mouth," Magnus grinned, eyes twinkling.  

Alec glared at him. "Don't start again."

Magnus laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "Fine." He took a sip of his drink. "So we've covered politics, how much the NRA sucks, music preferences, favourite books and favourite TV shows. What do you want to talk about tonight?"

Alec wrinkled his nose. "You make it sound so contrived."

"Because it is, in a way - don't you agree?" Magnus smiled. "None of this is spontaneous, or organic."

"If you hate it so much, why did you agree to it?" 

Magnus shook his head and fiddled with his rings. "I don't hate it, and I don't disagree that we need to get to know each other better. It's just a strange way to go about it. Doesn't it feel like we're trying to go through a crash course to reach an arbitrary amount of knowledge about each other as quickly as possible so we can finally get on with having sex? I half expect that I'm going to have to take an exam at the end of this."  

"Is it going to be an oral exam?" Alec asked, deadpan. 

Magnus laughed in delight. "Alexander! I didn't think you had it in you!"

Alec shrugged. "I'm full of surprises."

"So surprise me," Magnus grinned, slightly challenging.  

Alec took a deep breath. "Ok, we're going to play a game." 

"Is stripping involved?" Magnus smirked.

"Maybe next time," Alec said wryly. "We'll take turns asking each other five questions about whatever comes to mind, no holds barred."

"Why wait till next time? No time like the present. We'll play it like Truth or Dare - if you choose not to answer the question, you have to remove one article of clothing," Magnus suggested. 

Alec glanced at Magnus' outfit with its many layers, glanced back down at his own simple jacket and shirt combo, and quickly added, "Accessories don't count."

"Fair enough," Magnus agreed. "You go first."

Alec nodded, trying to organise his thoughts. "Why did you become a doctor?"

"Because it was my mother's dream - that some day I would have a job that would make me lots of money, and I would never have to suffer the indignities that she did struggling to make ends meet as an uneducated immigrant and single mother," Magnus replied. "She would have taken lawyer, too, but I rather enjoyed biology and chemistry in school." 

Alec nodded in understanding. The Lightwoods had been rich, and he'd had a pretty sheltered childhood, but he knew it was tough trying to survive in New York - or anywhere, really, under those circumstances. 

"My turn," Magnus said. "Why baseball? I know you left home when you were 18 because your parents were bigots. But you do have a build for football or basketball, if you needed a sports scholarship for college." 

"Because in baseball, you can’t just sit on a lead and kill the clock. You’ve got to give the other man his chance," Alec replied. "And baseball might be a team sport, but when it comes down to it, when the action comes to you, it's up to you to step up and bring your best game. Nobody can help you, except yourself." 

"Hmm. Yes, I can see the appeal of that," Magnus murmured. 

"What about you? Why baseball?" Alec asked. 

"There was a hot guy on the baseball team in high school," Magnus shrugged, and Alec snorted. "Besides, do you have any idea how much innuendo there is in baseball? But I grew to enjoy the game, eventually." 

"Came for the innuendos, stayed for the game," Alec smiled. 

"Since we're on the topic of baseball... What are your superstitions?" Magnus asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

"Superstitions?" Alec repeated, scratching the scruff on his own normally clean-shaven face self-consciously. 

Baseball players were generally a superstitious lot, but Alec liked to think that he didn't have a superstitious bone in his body. He'd gone along with keeping the playoff beard because it was a team thing, but for him baseball was less about luck than it was about hard work - keeping himself fit and healthy so he had perfect control over the velocity and direction of his pitches consistently, having a good rapport with his catcher, and the ability to fake-out the offence and catch them off guard. But most players were careful with who they shared their superstitions with - he thought he knew what Magnus was getting at. He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over the back of the couch, but he caught a flash of disappointment on Magnus' face. Had he read the situation wrong after all? 

"I can't tell you my superstitions, because I don't have any," he explained quickly.  

"Or you really wanted to help me get you out of your clothes," Magnus teased, though Alec could see the tension going out of his shoulders. "Your turn. Three questions left, Alexander - make them count." 

"Stupidest thing you've ever done."

"Camille," Magnus said dryly, and Alec let out a short bark of laughter at that. "Guilty pleasure?" 

"Singing in the shower," Alec admitted. 

"I'm sure your voice will sound very lovely echoing in my bathroom," Magnus winked.

"Pretty sure you're thinking of something else entirely," Alec grumbled, and Magnus snickered. "Um. Most embarrassing thing to have happened to you."

Magnus quirked a sly smile and started shrugging out of his jacket. "I don't know how to answer that. I don't embarrass easily."

"Wouldn't have guessed," Alec said wryly, trying not to get distracted by the way Magnus' biceps flexed under his too-tight shirt when he threw his jacket behind him carelessly.

"Most embarrassing thing to have happened to _you_?" Magnus asked. 

"Jace," Alec answered immediately, drawing another delighted laugh from Magnus.  

"Last question, Alexander," Magnus reminded him, waggling an eyebrow. 

"Uh." Alec swallowed hard as Magnus moved closer and placed one hand on his thigh. He'd had other questions to ask, but he couldn't seem to remember any of them now. "Favourite thing to do during your spare time." 

"At the moment, I think my answer might be a certain Red Sox player," Magnus smirked.

"Uh huh," Alec mumbled, one hand already going to Magnus' waist. "And your last question?" 

" _Now_ can we go back to making out like teenagers?" 

" _Fuck yes_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to note that because of research I have been doing for this fic, Google thinks I need daily push notifications on Red Sox game scores now XD


	2. Second Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some baseball terms, not really necessary for understanding what's going on, but in case you're interested:
> 
> **ERA** \- Earned run average, a statistic used to measure effectiveness of a pitcher (average number of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings, the traditional length of a full game). Baseball is big on statistics. 
> 
> **Runs** \- A run is scored when an offensive player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate.
> 
> **Walk** \- When a pitcher throws four balls that the batter couldn't have hit, the batter can advance to the first base without penalty. Generally not something a pitcher wants happening, although it can be done intentionally to pass over a strong batter and move on to the next one.
> 
> Alright, enough of that. On with the fic!

 

 

Magnus got ready for bed feeling strangely bereft. He knew Alec was attending a family dinner tonight, a birthday celebration for his youngest brother. And because Maxwell was a minor, he still lived with Alec's bigoted parents, so Alec didn't get to see him much - opportunities like these were precious to Alec. But at some point over the four months that they'd been dating, Magnus had gotten used to Alec texting him just before bed. Sometimes it was just a simple exchange of 'good night's, but more often it was an extended conversation about their day, since it was so hard for them to find the time to meet. 

It was fine. Dealing with his parents always put Alec in a bad mood - perhaps their relationship was still new enough that he hadn't felt comfortable putting that on Magnus. He shouldn't even have bothered waiting up, putting off going to bed with excuses like needing to catch up on his journal reading, because Alec had probably gone to bed early - it was his turn on the pitching rotation tomorrow. And although Magnus would never admit it, he'd been tracking Alec's ERA stats religiously, and it had been a really bad season for Alec so far. 

He had just pulled the covers over himself when he thought he heard a knock on his main door. It was already eleven at night, and Magnus' only neighbour on this floor was on vacation in the Caribbean. He sat up, wondering if he'd just imagined the sound - and there it was again. Frowning, he got out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown. 

The view out of the peephole in his main door was completely dark, which meant whoever was outside was blocking the viewer. Magnus lived in a pretty good neighbourhood, but this seemed suspicious enough that he started backing away from the door, wondering if he should call the cops.

"Magnus!" 

Wait - that was Alec's voice. Magnus opened the door immediately, and promptly found himself with an armful of tall, dark, and very inebriated.

"S'rry. Thought I was leanin' on the wall," Alec said, bleary-eyed and trying to stagger back onto his feet, only to end up leaning more heavily on Magnus. "And s'rry about the knockin'... and yellin'. I'd've pressed the doorbell, but the damned thing wouldn't stop movin' around."

"Did something happen?" Magnus asked, trying to put an arm around Alec to help him inside. "Why did you get so drunk?" 

"The aged Ps - geddit?" Alec slurred, gesturing vaguely and grinning at his own joke. "'Cause they've got _great expectations._ "

"Yes, I get it," Magnus murmured. Of course it had to be Alec's parents who had worked him up into such a state. Suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss this conundrum of a man, who made heartbreaking, terrible puns about Dickens when he was drunk off his ass. 

Alec ran a hand over his arm, squeezing appreciatively. "Never knew I had an arm kink 'til I met you."

"Very gratifying to know," Magnus tried not to smile. 

"Your cock is pretty great too," Alec declared. 

Magnus didn't quite manage to hide his inelegant snort of laughter at that - it seemed that Alec completely lost his filter when he was drunk. He didn't quite remember that from the last time Alec had gotten this drunk, but to be fair he'd been completely plastered himself.

Alec seemed encouraged by his response, and continued slightly dreamily, "So thick... 'nd that curve of it, hittin' all the right places that one time when we had sex on the floor... why were we on the floor?" 

"You are going to regret this so much tomorrow," Magnus noted wryly as he led Alec towards the couch. 

"It's my favourite memory to jerk off to," Alec whispered conspiratorially, his breath hot against Magnus' neck. 

Magnus deposited Alec on the couch, intending to get him some water, then maybe try to convince Alec to stay over, if only to sleep off the alcohol. But Alec grabbed his wrist and gave him a hard tug so he ended up back on the couch, with Alec attempting to straddle his thighs and kissing him sloppily.  

"Missed you," Alec said earnestly, between kisses.

"I missed you too, but we're not doing this when you're drunk," Magnus said firmly, gripping Alec’s hips to stop him from grinding against him.  

Alec snaked one hand down to cup Magnus' cock through his boxers, moaning as he admired at the size and weight of it, and Magnus couldn't help bucking slightly into the touch with an answering moan. 

"Want that in my mouth," Alec decided, already starting to slide off the couch so he could get on his knees. 

"Alexander, stop," Magnus gasped, grabbing Alec by his shoulders. 

"Why? We never have sex anymore," Alec whined, even though he did remove the hand that was feeling Magnus up.

"And we had a good reason for it, remember?" Magnus told him gently, trying to get his breathing under control. 

"Don't remember," Alec said plaintively. "Don't care."  

"Yes, you do. I'll run a warm bath for you, you should get some sleep, and you'll remember in the morning," Magnus said patiently.

"You gonna join me?" Alec asked hopefully, turning a luminous pair of puppy-dog eyes at him. 

"No," Magnus said firmly, even though other parts of his anatomy were certainly not agreeing with him, and goddamnit he was going to reward himself with a major shopping spree after this.  

Alec slumped down on the floor in a pile of long limbs at the rejection, suddenly morose, because apparently he was that kind of drunk. "What're we, Magnus?" he croaked. "Boyfriends? People who are tryin' to date but can't find time to? Fuckbuddies without the fuckin'?"

Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "Two people who are going to work this out together. Come on. Bath, then bed."

 

 

Magnus woke up the next morning to Alec stirring beside him, groaning.

"Darling? Do you need me to help you get to the washroom?"

"No..." Alec started to shake his head, then winced. "Fuck. That was a bad idea." 

Magnus helped him to sit up and passed him the aspirin and water that he'd put on his nightstand. 

"Thanks. What time is it?" Alec mumbled, easing himself back down onto the pillows.  

"Early. Go back to sleep, darling. I have to go to work in a while, but you can stay for as long as you want. I'm going to set an alarm for you, and I'll leave you my spare key so you can lock the door behind you when you leave," Magnus replied.  

"Wait. Why are you here? Where...?" 

Magnus watched Alec try to recall the events of the previous night with slight amusement.  

"Shit," Alec groaned, a slight blush rising in his cheeks. "Please tell me I didn't actually say all those things out loud." 

"Do you mean the part where you were waxing poetic about my cock? Because I honestly didn't mind that," Magnus teased, then grew more serious. "Do you want to talk about why you got so drunk the night before a game? Doesn't seem like you." 

Alec ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Every year on Max's birthday, my parents pull some shit on me. And it just happens that Max's birthday is during baseball season. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."

"This happens every year?" Magnus frowned.

"Uh. My parents are kind of equally shitty to all of us. So Izzy goes off with Simon as soon as she can, leaving Jace and I to drown ourselves in alcohol. Usually I just go home, though, because it's not like I have anywhere else to go," Alec said a little shyly, plucking at the bedcovers. "Sorry for crashing here. I think I was thinking that I hadn't messaged you like I usually do, so I should say good night in person instead, and somehow that sounded like a good idea when I was drunk." 

"No, don't be sorry. I'm glad you came over," Magnus smiled.  

Alec smiled back in relief, but grew sombre almost immediately. "Just my luck that I'm actually pitching today. And it's already been a such bad season for me. Given up too many hits, and even walked two in the last game... we've lost every game I've pitched so far."

"We're only two dozen games into the season, it's too early to call anything. Even the best teams lose about a third of their games," Magnus reminded him. "That's the beauty of baseball, it's about winning enough, not winning everything." 

Alec sighed. "I know. But it's more than that - I think they're thinking of trading me out." 

"What? Why would they do that?" Magnus frowned. 

"Rumour has it, some investor is putting pressure on the club because they don't like having a gay player on the team," Alec replied. "I don't have a no-trade clause in my contract. And if I continue to play like this, I'm giving them the perfect excuse to kick me out." 

"Oh, darling," Magnus patted his arm sympathetically.

"It is what it is," Alec shrugged.

"Look on the bright side - maybe you'll be transferred to a team that actually doesn't suck," Magnus said cheerfully, and laughed when Alec smacked him with a pillow.  

"Asshole," Alec grumbled, then pulled Magnus down so he could kiss him properly.

Magnus let himself sink into the gentle kiss, into the feeling of Alec's strong arms circling him, before pulling back just a little. "Hey. I'm sorry I haven't been coming to watch the games," Magnus said softly.

"It's ok. You're not going to be caught dead in a Red Sox shirt, I get it," Alec joked. "Besides, you're busy. Don't you have a surgery scheduled for today?" 

Magnus nodded dumbly, surprised that Alec had remembered. 

"It's fine. Really. I appreciate the thought," Alec insisted, his hand lingering on Magnus' arm in a way that reminded him of Alec's drunken confession the night before. "Although not as much as I appreciate that you're not wearing anything with the Orioles' logo right now." 

"But if I were, at least you'd have an excuse to take them off," Magnus teased.

"Good point," Alec agreed. "I should write in to the MLB to suggest that they should include underwear in the range of official merchandise."

"You do that, and I'll make a special effort for my boyfriend and buy some just to piss him off," Magnus grinned. 

Alec's face lit up immediately. "Boyfriend, huh?" 

Magnus shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "We might as well call it as it is."

"Does this mean we can have sex now?" Alec teased. 

"Tell you what - if you lose your game today, you can come round to my office and I'll give you a compensation blowjob," Magnus joked, leaning down to steal one more kiss from a laughing Alec before he got out of bed to go to the washroom to get ready for his day. 

 

 

Alec was checking his phone, grinning at the latest message from Magnus, when Jace came into the locker room.  

"Dude, where did you go last night? I went to your place in the morning to try to get you to cheat on our diets together with the greasiest hangover breakfast this side of New York, and you weren't home."

"Uh. Yeah. I went to Magnus'," Alec mumbled, stashing his phone in his locker. 

"You spent the night at Magnus'?" Jace exclaimed a little too loudly.

"Not what you're thinking at all," Alec said, narrowing his eyes.

"Look, it's not about the betting pool, I put my wager on you guys caving weeks ago, so I've already lost," Jace waved a hand dismissively. "It's just... you guys obviously dig each other. What's the point of the no-sex rule?"  

"He jokes about it, but he's just not comfortable yet, alright?" Alec frowned. "I don't want to mess this up again." 

"You guys are crazy," Jace scoffed. 

"Shut up. Let's go play some ball," Alec said, giving Jace a shove out of the room.

 

 

Magnus came out of surgery exhausted but satisfied at a job well done, stretching to try to get the crick out of his neck. He hadn't eaten anything in hours, and mostly he just wanted to go home and sleep, but there was a stack of paperwork on his desk that wasn't going to complete itself. Maybe he'd just do the ones that needed his urgent attention, and bring a few home to work on after he'd had some food.

He'd just got to his office when he heard someone calling his name.

"Cat," he smiled in surprise when she handed him a takeaway cup of coffee.

"With far too much cream and sugar, just the way you like it," she said wryly.

"You're a blessing," Magnus said fondly, quickly taking a fortifying sip. "And in my defence, I need the sugar."

"I know," she said in commiseration. "But coffee and sugar isn't a substitute for actual rest and food."

"When was the last time you heeded your own advice, Dr Loss?" he teased, letting her into his office. "Did you want to see me about something?"

"No, just wanted to catch up with you before you went home. How's everything?"

"Good. Well, better than good actually," Magnus smiled. 

"Ah, I know that look," Cat said knowingly. "It's that new guy you've been dating, Isabelle's brother. Is he waiting for you at home, then?" 

"No, it's not like that between us. Not yet, anyway," Magnus said, already making a grab for his phone to check for new messages. 

"Really?" Cat grinned, waggling her eyebrow at him.

"Don't give me that. We're taking things slow, getting to know each other first," Magnus explained. "And as much as I want to move things along a little faster, I don't think he's comfortable yet. And I don't want to mess this up." 

"Must be special, this boy," Cat observed. 

"Yes. I'd like to think so," Magnus said with a grin. There were a few new messages on his phone, some of them from Alec, but what caught his eye first was the notification from the app that sent him updates on baseball game results.  

"Good news?" Cat asked, noticing his expression.

"Yes," Magnus beamed. "Alexander has just won his first game of the season."

 

 


	3. Third Base

 

Alec had never enjoyed away games much. Firstly, it meant he usually had to share a hotel room with Jace, who was their designated hitter on the team. And even if Jace wasn't the most annoying roommate ever, he had gotten used to having his own space. Secondly, even though he wasn't usually picky about what he ate or drank, he would readily admit that he had a _thing_ about cleanliness, and sometimes the state of some hotel rooms just left a lot to be desired. 

And now, of course, there was the fact that the Red Sox were on their first long string of away games - Seattle, Minneapolis, then Toronto - which meant that he hadn't had the opportunity to meet Magnus for almost two weeks. He'd gotten used to the little moments they managed to squeeze out for each other - even if it was just a quick lunch of slightly questionable food at the hospital cafeteria, or Magnus popping by for dinner if his shift schedule allowed. But they were on their last game here, and he'd be on his way home the day after tomorrow. Besides, there was always their nightly calls. It would just have to do. 

He'd excused himself after dinner, even though the guys had asked him along to hang out, eager for an hour or two of privacy with Magnus. He got ready for bed, then called Magnus. He picked up the phone after three rings - never more, never less, which made Alec wonder if he'd actually been waiting for Alec to call but didn't want to seem too eager about it.  

"Hello, darling."

"Hey," Alec said, getting under the covers and wriggling around to try to get comfortable in the creaky bed and the too-cold sheets that smelled a little too strongly of bleach. "How was your day?" 

As Magnus recounted funny things that had happened with his patients, a minor disagreement with Raphael over a PLOT charity event, and the paper he was writing for a medical conference, Alec was struck by how strange it was that Magnus had spent so many years being prickly around him because of something as silly as supporting a different baseball team, and how that misunderstanding had persisted because Alec hadn't tried to understand why. They could have had this so much earlier, if they hadn't both been such stubborn assholes. 

"Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet tonight."

"Just... thinking about us." 

"That sounds ominous."

"What? No," Alec laughed. "Just remembering how this all started. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad we got snowed in at that town." 

"A real stroke of luck," Magnus agreed. "We should go back some day and thank Mrs Penhallow for how overpriced her rooms are, otherwise we would never have ended up sharing a room."

Alec snorted. "Well, that bed was a damned sight better than this one, I'll give her that." 

"And I'm sure the company didn't hurt."

"Yes, that too," Alec sighed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Go to bed and dream of me, darling. You have a game to win tomorrow."

"I don't think I can sleep. This bed sucks," Alec grumbled. He could have sworn there was a spring poking his back. 

"I think I know what might help... What are you wearing now?" Magnus asked cheekily. 

"You can't be serious," Alec huffed. 

"Dead serious," Magnus laughed. "So what is my hunky baseball-player boyfriend wearing to sleep?" 

"Clothes," Alec replied dryly. 

"Be still, my heart."

"What about you? What is my gorgeous philanthropist-doctor boyfriend wearing to sleep?" he grinned.  

"Nothing," Magnus answered.  

"Wait, seriously?" Alec asked, lumpy mattress and weird sheets suddenly forgotten. 

There was a scuffling sound on the other side of the phone, and Magnus said in a joking tone, "Well, I am now. If you don't think it's too forward of me." 

" _Yes_. I mean no. Fuck, ok," Alec muttered. "Give me a few minutes." 

He got up to rummage through his luggage for his hands-free set and got back under the covers before shoving his underwear down to his ankles and kicking them off. "Ok, I'm back."

"Now what are you wearing?" Magnus asked.

"Um... a t-shirt. Nothing else," Alec replied, and Magnus hummed in approval.  

"What are you doing now?" Alec asked. 

"Thinking about how good you felt inside me the first time we had sex, and running my hands over myself," Magnus replied in a low voice. "You don't have any lube with you, I suppose." 

"No, but you do. Do you have... toys?"

Alec heard Magnus' breath hitch over the phone. Then after a few moments, Magnus said, sounding like he was grinning, "I have a 20-inch beauty-" 

"Magnus, that's not a dildo, that's a baseball bat," Alec interrupted, and Magnus burst out in raucous laughter. 

"You want me to use a toy?" Magnus finally asked when they'd both stopped laughing.  

"If you want to," Alec replied hesitantly. 

"Are you going to tell me exactly how to work myself open until I'm loose and slick, then have me fuck myself on a dildo pretending that it's your cock I'm coming on?"

Alec pressed a palm down on his crotch and closed his eyes, trying to centre himself with deep breaths. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"Of course that's a 'yes'. Now, why don't you tell me how you want me, darling." 

"Spread your legs for me," Alec suggested in a low voice. "Then get some lube on your fingers and rub it around the rim. Push some of it inside you." 

Magnus sucked in a sharp breath. "And then?" 

"Just a fingertip. In and out, slowly..." 

"Tease," Magnus gasped. 

Alec grinned. "Just taking my time with you." 

" _Alexander_." 

"Alright, one finger," Alec relented. 

He talked Magnus through taking in the second finger, then a third, and god, he'd forgotten how vocal Magnus got in bed, every moan and gasp in his ear making it harder for him to keep his hands off himself. Then Magnus suddenly cried out with pleasure, probably having found his prostate, and Alec made a muffled sound of arousal. 

"I want to hear you too," Magnus immediately protested, breathing heavily. "Are you touching yourself?" 

"Not yet. Not until you've got the toy in," Alec replied, his own breathing shaky. "But shit you sound so good."

"I'm ready," Magnus panted. "I want it."

"Yeah, do it," Alec nodded, forgetting Magnus couldn't see. 

Magnus took a deep breath in on the other end, letting it out in a slow exhale that ended in a low moan. "I'm pressing the tip in now. _Fuck_. God, that feels incredible... I wish it was you," Magnus said, voice rough. "You're a celebrity, I should be able to get one made in the image of your cock from the MLB."

Alec couldn't help letting out a startled laugh, though the next cry of pleasure from Magnus had him biting down on his lips, stifling his laughter. He spat in his palm, and finally allowed himself to put a hand on his own cock, groaning with relief. 

"That's it, love, let me hear you," Magnus panted. 

"God, Magnus," Alec gasped, gripping himself tighter and pumping himself in quick, hard strokes. "I want you here so badly."

"I'm right here with you, darling. Going to imagine that it's your gorgeous cock inside me when I come." 

Alec moaned and thrust upwards in time to the pleasured noises Magnus was making, his other hand moving down to cup his balls, closing his eyes and losing himself in the sounds and sensations. He'd kept himself on edge for too long; he could feel himself hurtling towards his climax all too quickly, and he could tell Magnus was getting close too. One particularly loud cry from Magnus was all it took. 

"Fuck, I'm going to come," he choked out, closing his fist over the head so he wouldn't mess up the sheets. " _Magnus_...!"  

Magnus moaned his name loudly over the phone, then he heard a few soft grunts as Magnus worked himself through his own climax. He sighed in satisfaction, feeling pleasantly boneless as he stroked himself lightly to draw out the aftershocks.

"You ok?" he asked Magnus.   

"Wonderful," Magnus hummed happily. "Think you can sleep now?"  

"Yeah," Alec mumbled. 

"Then good night, and sweet dreams."

"'Night. I'll be home soon," Alec replied, then tried to summon enough energy to grab some tissues from the box on the nightstand to clean himself up and pull his underwear back up before he fell into a deep sleep.  

 

 

_"Lightwood pounds it into the strike, and that's strike three! The Red Sox win the game against the Blue Jays 5-2!"_

Jace came out to meet Alec on the field with a huge grin on his face, the roars and cheers from the crowd in the stadium almost deafening. "That was incredible, man!"

"Thanks. You didn't do half bad yourself," Alec grinned, slapping him on the back as they made their way to the lockers.  

"I'm always incredible," Jace said cockily. "But that series of fastballs on the fourth and fifth inning..." he gave a low whistle. "The Jays didn't know what hit them."

Alec couldn't help but feel some pride at that - he knew he'd thrown some pretty good pitches.  

"Besides, that must have been your first complete game in years. Pretty impressive stamina, especially since I know you scored last night too," Jace said with a smirk. "Didn't want to mention it before the game. But no wonder you didn't want to join us after dinner."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Alec said gruffly. 

"Dude, you may think you were being sneaky and subtle, but you really, really were not," Jace snorted. 

"Ok, fine, but can we not discuss my sex life in front of the entire team, please?"

"What are we not discussing in front of the entire team?" their catcher, John Monteverde, asked from behind them. 

"Just congratulating my brother on finally getting some from his boyfriend," Jace replied, narrowly avoiding the sweaty towel Alec threw at his face.

"Oh, is this about the no-sex rule?" asked one of the Langford brothers, their first baseman, whom everyone called Langford One. 

"Why the fuck does everyone know about it?!" Alec snarled at Jace. "In fact, why is this even anybody's business?"

"Of course we knew. Jace started that betting pool, remember?" replied Langford Two, their centre fielder.

"Besides, even if Jace hadn't started that betting pool, we would have known about the boyfriend, at least. You used to have your nose in a book 90% of the time, and now you just smile sappily at your phone," Langford One snickered. 

"No, I don't!" Alec protested. Did he? 

"It's great. Happiness looks good on you," their second baseman Stephen Underhill smiled, patting him on the shoulder as he passed. 

"Why are you guys such gossips?" Alec scowled. He jabbed Jace with his index finger. "This is all your fault."

"I'm just looking out for the team," Jace protested. 

"What?!"

Jace started counting on his fingers. "First night you 'sleep over' at Magnus' - you win your first game of the season. You have 'lunch' at his office - another win. Magnus comes over for 'dinner' - another win."

Alec stared at Jace. "You're not fucking serious." 

"What, you're trying to tell me those weren't euphemisms?" Jace asked incredulously. 

"They weren't," Alec said through gritted teeth. 

"Oh. Really? But, dude, you're at the top of your game. This is the best you've played in _years_ ," Jace said.  

"And that has to do with all this imaginary sex you think I'm having with Magnus, and nothing to do with the hours I've been putting in on training," Alec bit out sarcastically. 

"Say whatever you want, Alec - but in baseball, sometimes it's just about the luck," John chipped in from beside him.  

Alec didn't have a single superstitious bone in his body. But before Magnus, he'd gone out of his way to make sure that he did everything exactly the same the day before a game - same food for dinner, same path home, same sleep clothes, even. He'd even made sure that he wore the same type of underwear under his uniform, because even if _he_ wasn't superstitious, the rest of the team sure as hell was.

"You were in a slump, but your boyfriend pulled you out of it. He's your lucky charm," Langford One declared, warming up to the idea.

"It's not unheard of. Wasn't there a guy who used to put on a gold thong when he was in a slump?" Langford Two chimed in.

"Yeah, I think I've heard of that. Jason Giambi, right?" John nodded.

"If phone sex wins us games, imagine what actual sex would do," Jace smirked. 

"My boyfriend isn't a piece of clothing or a lucky token!" Alec snapped, slamming his locker door shut with enough force that it bounced back open. "You are not seriously suggesting that I pressure Magnus into having sex with me because you think it'll bring me luck at a baseball game?!" 

"Hey, what's going on in here?" their coach Luke said sternly as he came in. There was a chorus of 'nothing's, and Luke narrowed his eyes at them, before he beckoned to Alec. "A word, Lightwood." 

Alec followed Luke out into the corridor with a frown. "What's this about, Coach?" 

"You've been playing well, and I want you to know that whatever happens isn't because of your performance on the field," Luke said solemnly. 

"They're trading me?" Alec asked, heart plummeting, euphoria from winning the game vanishing. 

"Not if your agent and I can help it, but the outlook does not look good." 

"Why the sudden change of heart? They didn't have a problem when I came out," Alec said furiously. 

"Seems like it was the paparazzi photos of you kissing a guy last Christmas that did it," Luke sighed. "They were all clapping themselves on the back for having a gay player on the team for 'inclusivity', but having that gay player be seen kissing a guy in public is 'scandalous' and 'not in line with the image of the club'."

"Are you going to tell me that I'm supposed to tone it down?" Alec scowled, because he'd be damned if he was going to hide his relationship with Magnus like it was something to be ashamed of.

"No - I'm telling you to stick it to the man, Lightwood," Luke grinned. "It's not like it's going to change their minds. And you bet the team will be behind you 100%." 

"You bet we are!" John declared from the doorway, clearly eavesdropping. 

"Guys, fuck off," Alec said half-heartedly. 

"There's only one way out of this - you can't be just _good_ , you're going to have to be extraordinary," Jace chimed in. "Coach, tell him I'm right!" 

Luke shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt. And I hate to say this - but maybe all you need is a bit of luck."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally a pitcher doesn't pitch for a full game - about a hundred throws is the limit before they call in a closing pitcher. A pitcher might pitch a complete game maybe a dozen times in a season.
> 
> Red Sox plays in the American League, where the pitcher doesn't go to bat when it's their team's turn to play the offensive. Instead, he gets a designated hitter - in Alec's case, it's Jace.


	4. Home Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I missed an update last week! Life got in the way a bit.

 

There was a sharp rap on the door of his office. Magnus looked up and smiled at his visitor.  

"Isabelle! Your eyeliner is absolutely on-point today, my dear, and all the more impressive considering it's the end of your shift." Izzy laughed and pecked him on the cheek before throwing herself onto his couch, and Magnus raised an eyebrow at her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Can't a girl just pop by to chat with her boss and favourite future in-law?" Izzy grinned. 

Magnus snorted. "I think Alexander and I still have some way to go before you get to start fighting with Biscuit over the colour scheme for our wedding, my dear. I haven't even gotten to see him since he came back from Toronto."

"I know," Izzy said sympathetically. "Which is why I wanted to tell you about a really interesting conversation I overheard Simon having with Jace yesterday. You've been keeping track of Alec's ERA stats, right?" 

"Maybe," Magnus said noncommittally. 

Izzy snorted. "I'm not Alec, you don't have to play coy with me. Actually, don't play coy with Alec either, my big brother is as straightforward as a hammer and doesn't get that sort of thing. Anyway - Jace was trying to bully Simon into helping him calculate the correlation between Alec's ERA stats and you guys having sex."

Magnus blinked. "Excuse me?" 

"You know how baseball players are about superstition," Izzy laughed. "Jace has come up with this theory that you helped bring Alec out of his slump this season, and apparently the rest of the team agrees with him. And he feels that if just going on dates wins them games, if you guys take the next step..."

"Alexander isn't superstitious," Magnus pointed out.

"Which is why Jace was trying to get Simon to do spreadsheets to prove to Alec that he needs to break the no-sex rule."

Magnus snorted. "Was Jace dropped on his head a lot as a child?"  

Izzy laughed and leaned forward conspiratorially. "But you can use this to your advantage."

" _What_ advantage?"

"I know it's hard for your schedule to match up with Alec's right now, and that sucks. And Jace may be a bit of an idiot, but if he thinks this is going to win games for the Red Sox, he will move heaven and hell to make it happen."

"Alexander would never go for that. He wants to take this slow, and I don't want to push him into anything he's not comfortable with," Magnus said, frowning.

"You don't have to do it - just _say_ you're doing it," Izzy grinned. "Besides, I think you're mistaken if you think Alec isn't as eager as you are to move your relationship to the next level."

Magnus raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright. Tell me what's on your devious mind."

  

 

Which is how Magnus had ended up outside Alec's door the day before his next pitching game, with dinner for two in his hands - specially prepared to meet Alec's high-carb and high-protein in-season diet. And something that would keep for a bit, in case Izzy was right and they ended up getting... distracted.

"Magnus! How...?" Alec asked, a sight for sore eyes even in comfortable track pants and a loose t-shirt, looking surprised and delighted but also slightly embarrassed, like he'd been caught at something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

"I switched shifts with Cat," Magnus explained, and leaned in for a kiss - a kiss that quickly ignited into something a bit more involved than what he'd been expecting to get on Alec's doorstep, drawing a small sound of surprise from him when Alec slid his tongue into his mouth.

Alec came to himself immediately and blushed. "Um. Sorry. Come in," he said, taking over the bags of food Magnus had brought. Magnus had to take a moment for himself before he could get his feet to remember what they were supposed to do.  

Settling down on the couch, Magnus couldn't help but notice that Alec's apartment was painfully neat, which Magnus considered a great feat because his usually looked like a mess of luggage just after he returned from a trip. The only thing out of place was a manila envelope on the coffee table, half open and spilling papers everywhere. There was a colourful graph on one of the pages that Magnus immediately recognised - he'd received the same set of documents earlier today. He thought he knew why Alec had seemed so flustered.

"Fuck! Sorry, ignore that," Alec said quickly, frantically shoving the papers back into the envelope.  

"It's ok, Izzy passed me a set of that as well, on behalf of Jace," Magnus said with some amusement. 

"Shit," Alec covered his face with one hand, and sighed heavily as he sat down on the table, in front of Magnus.

"So, do you think there's any merit to Jace's theory?" Magnus asked, trying his best to keep a straight face. "He seems to think that you need a miracle far beyond all of the hard work you've put into training - a stroke of luck." 

Alec was eyeing Magnus uncertainly, as if he was trying to gauge if Magnus was upset by it. "Sometimes Jace gets weird ideas."

"He certainly seems convinced - and he put a lot of effort into collating all that data to back up his theory," Magnus noted. "I think I was particularly impressed by the attached copy of the karma sutra, with the positions that would put minimal strain on you highlighted." 

Alec cleared his throat, a faint blush rising in his cheeks. "I think he had help. That part looked a lot like Izzy's handiwork. Besides, only she'd have access to your schedule so that she could come up with all the logistics of where and when." 

"Oh, I have no doubt that your sister can be very creative, but not all the credit goes to her," Magnus said airily. "After all, I have to look out for myself. There're at least another hundred games - more if the Red Sox makes it to World Series. This is going to be like running a marathon. It's all about stamina."

Magnus saw the exact moment Alec caught on, his lips starting to quirk at the corners. "I don't pitch at every game," Alec pointed out. 

"True, and I'm sure my mouth and ass will appreciate the four-day break after you're done with them," Magnus agreed, hiding a grin at the small choked-off sound Alec made. "Perhaps we could plan it like gym training - mouth days and ass days."

Alec cleared his throat. "We should go through the plan, make sure it's feasible."

"I'm sure it is - after all, I wrote it," Magnus smirked. "I even gave us options. For example, there's a choice between a blowjob in my office or quickie on my office couch next week, since I'll be on shift at the hospital. Or we could do both." 

"It was a very thorough plan, with a lot of...  _details_ ," Alec agreed. "I can't tell you how relieved I am that Izzy didn't write all of that. But I noticed that I'm always, you know, on the giving end." 

"Oh darling, I wouldn't want to make it difficult for you to throw those high-spin fastballs of yours - in case I get a little too carried away. You can pitch, and I will catch, at least until the season is over," Magnus winked. 

Alec laughed, then grew serious. "You know that we don't have to do anything, right?"  

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't do everything in my power to make sure you didn't get traded off? My only caveat is that I'm not helping you when you're up against the Orioles," Magnus joked. 

"That won't be a problem. I arranged with Luke to not have me play in any of the remaining three games against them," Alec admitted. "Didn't want you to feel caught in between."

"Oh darling, that really wasn't necessary," Magnus laughed. 

"But it is. Baseball is serious business," Alec said solemnly, standing up. "Especially the superstitions."

"I'm taking it very seriously," Magnus agreed, and suddenly he had a lap full of Alec - straddling him, kissing him, a large warm hand at the back of his neck cradling his head gently as Alec licked into Magnus' mouth with firm, insistent strokes of his tongue.

Magnus tilted his head back so he could match Alec's hungry kisses properly, running his hands under Alec's shirt to feel those firm muscles flexing under his fingertips as Alec rocked his hips forward. He moaned into Alec's mouth and grabbed his ass, pulling him nearer and palming Alec's hardening cock, the bulge of it clearly visible through his track pants, and Alec broke off from the kiss.

"Not here, not on the couch," Alec said, breathing heavily. He pushed himself off Magnus' lap with some effort, and Magnus immediately mourned the loss of his weight in his lap. "I want to do this properly, this time."

He held a hand out to Magnus, and Magnus grinned as he let Alec pull him up from the couch. "Is that your way of saying you want to make love to me, Alexander?"

Alec snorted. "I still don't know why I put up with you," he said, before kissing Magnus hard - a short, firm press of the lips - and dragging him off to the bedroom.

 

 

Shirts and pants hit the floor, shoes and socks discarded hastily and kicked into the corners. Alec pushed Magnus gently down until he was sitting at the edge of the bed, then nudged his legs apart and settled between them. He nosed at Magnus' cock through his underwear, his play-off beard tickling Magnus' inner thighs, then ran his tongue over the damp patch where the precome had already leaked through, and Magnus' breath hitched. 

Alec's fingers found the waistband of Magnus' briefs, and Magnus lifted his hips so Alec could pull them off properly. Then Alec kissed Magnus' cock, gentle presses of his lips on the head and down along the thick vein on the underside of the shaft until he reached the balls, sucking one into his mouth, then the other. He kissed his way back up before closing his mouth over the head, and Magnus moaned in appreciation, trying not to buck up into the wonderful heat of Alec's mouth as he licked and sucked enthusiastically. 

"Darling, come up here - otherwise it's going to be over before we've even begun," Magnus said softly. 

Alec gave the head of Magnus' cock one last lick before relinquishing it. "You taste good," he murmured. 

"Another time, darling. I've wanted you inside me for four months," Magnus replied impatiently, tugging Alec to his feet so he could pull his boxers down his long legs.  

"Sure." Alec grinned and went to get out the lube and condoms from his nightstand while Magnus pulled the rings off his fingers and dumped them haphazardly on the table. "May I?" 

"You have many pitches to throw tomorrow - save your strength. Just lie back and relax," Magnus said, taking over the lube. 

He straddled Alec's thighs and coated his fingers with lube, then reached behind to prepare himself. Alec watched him with heaviy lidded eyes as he pressed two fingers in straight away, eager to get Alec inside him, but Alec immediately protested. 

"Go slow," he insisted. 

Magnus huffed out a breath impatiently, but slowed down - fucking himself on his fingers with sinuous hip movements, teasing a nipple with one hand while he stretched himself open with two, then three fingers. Alec's cock was jutting up and so hard that it was leaning towards his belly now, his breathing harsh even though Magnus hadn't even touched him, watching Magnus with hungry eyes.  

"Ready?" Magnus asked, and Alec nodded frantically, blindly reaching for the condom. 

Alec gritted his teeth when he rolled the condom on and lubed himself up, then held the base of his cock steady for Magnus as he lowered himself onto the sensitive head. Magnus let just the tip of Alec's cock inside his body, pressing down and willing himself to relax around the stretch as the flared head pushed past the tight ring of muscle. He took in another inch or so of Alec's length, then lifted himself off just enough for his rim to tug at the cockhead, sliding down again just before the Alec's cock slipped out entirely. 

"Fuck," Alec cursed softly, his hands tightening on Magnus' hips when he repeated the movement again. "Magnus, please, come on." 

"You're the one who said you wanted it slow," Magnus grinned, undulating his hips so that his tight rim pulled teasingly at the crown of Alec's cock again. 

"I swear if you don-," Alec broke off with a gasp when Magnus slid a little further down. 

"That's not the way to ask for what you want," Magnus smirked, pinning Alec's hips down so he couldn't thrust upwards and take what he wanted. 

"God, Magnus, please, _please_ \- " Alec moaned, eyes squeezed shut and tossing his head from side to side when Magnus kept up his teasing. 

"Then keep your hands to your sides, and let me take care of you," Magnus said a little breathlessly. 

Alec immediately complied, fisting his hands in the sheets, then letting out a long moan when Magnus finally, _finally_ lowered himself all the way, taking him as deep as he could go. 

"Oh fuck. You feel so good," Magnus panted as he clenched his body around Alec, revelling in the delicious feeling of fullness. Alec's cock was twitching inside him, his body taut with the tension of trying to follow Magnus' instructions not to move. Magnus could feel Alec's thigh muscles flexing between his own as Alec curled and uncurled his toes. 

"Magnus, move, please," he pleaded. 

"Shhh. I've got you," Magnus murmured, moving his hips in slow figure eights until Alec was practically clawing at the sheets. Then he lifted himself off, angling himself so Alec's cock was dragging over his prostate, then fucked himself back down onto Alec's cock, drawing a moan of pleasure from both of them. 

Magnus circled his hips again before slamming downwards, repeating the movement again and again and getting a little faster each time until Alec was trembling underneath him, head thrown back and back arched from fighting the urge to thrust upwards. Magnus could feel the pressure building and building inside him with every whimper of pleasure from Alec and every drag of Alec's cock inside him as he rode him with everything he had.  

"Magnus, _fuck_ , I can't- gonna come," Alec gasped, finally losing the battle with his self-control and reaching out to grab Magnus by the hips. He pulled Magnus down and held him firmly in place as he thrust up hard once, twice - then he was coming deep inside Magnus, mouth falling open in a silent cry. 

Magnus had been so close to the edge himself that all he needed was a few firm strokes to his leaking cock before he was coming all over Alec's chest and abs, marking his body with hot spurts of his release. He slumped forward, thighs aching and heart racing, too tired to care about the mess between them. 

"Magnus?" Alec said, his voice hoarse. 

"Hmm?"

"If we're going to be doing this before every game, I'm not going to survive the rest of the season," Alec mumbled. 

Magnus laughed breathlessly. "Me neither, darling."

 

 

Magnus didn't bother attempting to hide his good mood the next day, humming cheerfully as he went about his rounds in the hospital. His patients all loved him - he was the _fun_ doctor, the one who sneaked them toys and did silly magic tricks to make them smile and laugh, and it always helped the parents feel a bit better if the doctor was smiling too. Even the little lingering twinge in his ass was a discomfort he'd gladly put up with.

He managed to get back to his office just as Alec's game was starting, intending to catch up on paperwork while he listened to the live stream commentary of the game. But as the game went on, he couldn't help flicking his eyes to the screen every time it was Alec's turn to pitch - firstly, because _damn_ if that wasn't a lovely view of his boyfriend's ass in tight white pants; and secondly, because he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_"And on the mound is Alec Lightwood. Our scouting report will tell us his performance has been picking up this season..."_  

_"Lightwood back to the plate - got him swinging!_ "

"... _with six strikeouts in the first three innings_..."

"... _and that is strikeout number thirteen for Lightwood_..."

" _That's pitch number one-hundred and seventeen on the way - nice one! It's strike three! And it's a standing ovation for Lightwood..._ "

Magnus stared disbelievingly at the screen, the camera focussed on Alec's beaming face as his teammates crowded around him, the stadium going wild cheering for the pitcher that had just stymied every single batter that had stepped up to the plate against him today. 

Alec had just thrown the first shutout of his career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Baseball notes:_
> 
> **Shutout** : When a single pitcher pitches for a complete game, and doesn't allow the opposing team to score any runs.


	5. Grand Slam

 

Alec almost couldn't believe that this was it, that they were at the final league game of the season. Alec had already stepped up to the pitcher's mound for 32 out of 162 games for the Red Sox this year, and today would be number 33. Magnus had been a real sport through it all, indulging him in the ridiculous superstition they'd accidentally started, even on days where he'd been so exhausted after a shift that he could barely keep his eyes open. On more than one occasion they'd had to get a bit creative with positions, especially when they were using Magnus' office. 

Over two dozen rounds of frankly incredible sex. Three months of laughter and joy in each other, that extra time they'd needed, made possible because everyone was in on trying to make sure Alec and Magnus got at least a couple of hours together before every game. Win or lose, Alec knew that tonight he had something very important to say to Magnus. 

Alec had been in the locker room with the rest of his teammates, getting ready to go out onto the field, when John Monteverde came in with his arms full of what looked like t-shirts. 

"What's that you've got there?" Jace asked. 

"Undershirts. Courtesy of my lovely wife and your agent," John said, grinning. 

Jace picked one up and whistled. "Nice." The shirt was a solid black, but it had a rainbow-coloured version of the Red Sox's logo on the front. 

"Not like anybody's going to be able to see it," Alec pointed out.

"Lydia said we are to take our jerseys off at the end of the game, whether we win or lose. Solidarity, you know?" John said, thumping Alec on the back. "I know I'm not supposed to know this, but I overhead Lyds telling Coach that they still haven't confirmed either way whether you're getting traded after the season." 

"They'd be out of their fucking minds to trade Alec," Jace said with a snort. "Fifteen complete games, of which seven of them were shutouts?"

"Hate makes people irrational," Stephen Underhill said, a little quieter than usual, but held out a hand for a shirt. 

John nodded. "Lydia's plan is to show them that the team have all got Alec's back. I'd like to see them trade out the lot of us."

Jace shrugged out of his shirt and pulled on one of the new ones, then threw one to Alec. Alec hesitated, then pulled his own shirt off.

"Oh my god," Jace started laughing. "Go, Magnus!"

"Shut up," Alec mumbled, hurriedly pulling on the new shirt to hide all the scratches on his back and the hickeys scattered all over his shoulders that would ordinarily have been hidden under his shirt, _damnit_.

 

 

Their last game of the season was an away game at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees, it almost always was. It was three in the afternoon, the shadows only just starting to grow long. Alec had finished his final pregame warm-up throws, and was preparing to walk up to the pitcher's mound to the tune of " _I'm Coming Out_ " by Diana Ross (Alec had no particular opinion on music, but next season he definitely wasn't going to make the same mistake of asking Jace to help him pick his walk-up song). Instead, the song that played was something by Queen that even he recognised.

"Special request from a fan," one of their relief pitchers, Mark Blackthorn, told him over the distinctive opening beat of ' _We Will Rock You'._

Alec shook his head slightly to clear it - the music didn't matter, all that mattered was the game, and this was going to be a tough one since they were tied with their old nemesis and this was the game that would decide who got into the World Series. Emotions and tensions were running high both on and off the field. Freddie Mercury's voice was oddly comforting as Alec walked out onto the field, given how much Magnus loved Queen. John was already in position on the home plate, and nodded at Alec before putting his glove in neutral position. Alec put everything out of his mind; there was no space here for anything but the weight of the ball in his hand, and the glove that was his target. Alec took a deep breath; wound up, drew his arm back, and let the ball fly. 

The ball hit John's glove dead centre, the batter missing completely. Strike one. 

Izzy had always said that his problem was overthinking things, so Alec tried not to think about anything beyond the flow of the movements - the way his body went through the motions almost without conscious thought from him, the ball flying from his hand to the glove, then back in his hand again. The reactions of the batters didn't matter; he ignored their flailing and the heckling that started up almost immediately from the opposing team and their fans. John had always had good instincts, and sensing something was afoot, he let Alec call the shots. 

As the game went on and the tally of innings played began to rack up, Alec kept his head down, refusing to look at the line of zeros on the scoreboard. By the fifth inning, even Jace was leaving Alec well alone - not a word, smile or pat on the back when they crossed each other on the field. Everybody seemed to be holding their breath, afraid that one wrong move or wrong word would jinx them and break the spell. 

On the bottom of the sixth inning, after striking out the second batter, the Yankees side of the stadium was booing Alec so loudly that his ears were ringing. The next batter sneered at Alec as he stepped up to the plate but Alec ignored him. He knew the batter was mouthing something at him, probably some homophobic slur, but he didn't care. 

"Hey, fag! Look at me when I'm talking to you," he hissed.

John was sensible enough not to react to it, and Alec was thankful for that because the last thing he needed right now was a bench-clearing brawl. The umpire hadn't reacted either - either he hadn't heard, or he agreed with the sentiment. Alec kept his face blank and his eyes on John's glove, and struck the batter out on principle. 

When Alec got on the mound on the ninth inning, the tension in the whole stadium was a tangible thing, alive. The heartbeat of the crowd was the beat of Queen's song, echoed in the stamping of feet as the fans cheered him on, and when he took a deep breath before he pitched, it felt like the whole stadium breathed with him.

The first batter was so nervous he struck him out easily. The second batter hit his second throw with a heart-stopping crack, the ball glancing off his bat in a foul ball that John lunged after and caught without blinking an eye. Then the third batter stepped up, and Alec managed to get two strikes out of him pretty easily.

After that, Alec would remember everything about that last throw perfectly - the ache in his arms and the exact curve of the ball as it flew safely into John's glove.

The world stood still for a fraction of a second; then erupted into a deafening roar of approval from the crowd.

John was the first one to reach him, crashing into him and hugging him so hard that he couldn't breathe, then the rest of his team engulfed him, yelling his name and cheering. 

"You did it! You fucking did it! You brought us into the World Series with a perfect game!" Jace shouted into his ear. 

Buffeted by the mass of sweaty, jubilant teammates, Alec was probably one of the last to catch on to the commotion that was going on out of his field of vision, but he knew _something_ was happening, because the volume of the crowd's cheers suddenly spiked far above the volume of Queen blasting out of the PA system. He pushed his way out of the throng just in time to see Stephen Underhill breaking off from kissing Langford Two. He looked shellshocked, and like he was starting to panic that he'd done the wrong thing, but Langford Two simply grinned and pulled him in for another kiss. 

"Holy shit. How long...?" John asked.

"A year or so," Langford One admitted, watching his brother kiss the man he loved with a proud smile.

When they finally stopped kissing, Stephen looked a bit sheepish when he spotted Alec. "Didn't mean to steal your thunder," Stephen told him. 

"Not at all," Alec replied, still stunned, but in a moment they were all laughing, hugging and clapping each other on the back. "Shit. This... this is amazing, man."

"And I thought Alec was the dramatic one!" Jace laughed, then ducked to avoid Alec swatting him with his cap.

"Well, this is going to be one hell of a post-game press conference," John said with a grin.

 

 

The post-game press conference seemed to go on forever, and Alec was done with journalists asking him prying questions about Magnus about ten minutes into the conference, but once it was done he was free - at least until training for the World Series started. The team was going to go celebrate, of course, but he'd begged off because he wanted to see Magnus, who was supposed to be on shift at the hospital. 

Alec took the fastest shower humanly possible and would have gone off immediately if Jace hadn't reminded him that their parents always allowed Max to come watch the last game, and Izzy would be waiting for them too at the clubhouse. He and Jace were one of the first to go into the room reserved for players to celebrate with their families and friends after the game, and as usual Izzy, Simon, and Max were waiting for them, but for a moment he thought he'd been thinking so hard about Magnus that he'd started to see things. 

"Surprise!" Magnus grinned and pecked him chastely on the lips. 

"You guys don't fool me with your grandpa kisses!" Jace called from behind them before he went to give Izzy and Max a hug. "I saw the scratches on Alec's back!" 

Alec couldn't think of a retort to that; in fact, he had completely lost the ability to form words. He hadn't expected that Magnus would come to watch the game, but that wasn't even the most shocking thing.

"You're wearing a Red Sox shirt," Alec said in amazement. It was one of the black undershirts with the rainbow logo that Lydia had printed specially to make a statement, but still. 

"You're playing against the Yankees - enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that," Magnus said airily.

"You do realise that you've started a new superstition, right? Now they're going to expect you to wear a Red Sox shirt on the days Alec is pitching so Alec will throw another perfect game," Max pointed out cheekily.

"Shush, you," Magnus said, frowning. 

The rest of the team was trickling in now, and they all wanted to shake Magnus' hand, much to his amusement. The place was packed with the team's families and friends, and for a while the whole place was a cheerful chaos of people talking, laughing, and hugging each other. Alec watched Magnus joking around with his siblings for a while before he could bear to draw him aside.  

"Shall we go?" Alec asked Magnus quietly. 

"Are you sure? You are the hero of the hour, after all." 

"You know how I feel about parties," Alec said wryly.  

Magnus grinned mischievously. "I could make it worth your while."

"I'm not having sex at a party my baby brother is attending. Home," Alec insisted.

"Whose?"

Alec shrugged. "As long as you're in it." 

Magnus smiled and took his hand. "That can be arranged."

  

 

The journey to Magnus' place took almost two hours, and Alec was certain that Magnus knew something was up. He'd been too quiet, his brain just too full of the things that he wanted to say to Magnus. 

"Are you alright?" Magnus asked as he locked the door behind them. "Did Luke say something about the possibility of you getting traded?"  

"No. Trading isn't allowed until after the World Series, anyway," Alec replied distractedly. 

"Well, they'd be idiots if they let their star pitch-!"

The rest of his words were muffled by Alec's lips as he kissed him soundly. Magnus kissed him back, then pulled away. 

"Alexander, are you _sure_ you're alright?" 

"Magnus, I... I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't tell me you believe in superstitions now?" Magnus teased. "I'm pretty sure John and Luke have more claim to being instrumental to your success than I do."  

"No, I just... I've never had something to fight for, something to prove. All this time, I've been trying to be the best I can, but this time I had to show them that who I love doesn't change how well I play baseball," Alec said seriously. "And I figured that you already know this, but I just wanted to say this properly. I love you."

"I love you too," Magnus replied softly, and drew him closer for another kiss, then smiled against his lips. "But I wouldn't be opposed to a little demonstration of just how much you love me."

"With pleasure," Alec said with a laugh. 

Alec had spent enough time at Magnus' for him to find the path to Magnus' bedroom with his eyes closed, so getting there while stumbling over hastily discarded clothes and stealing kisses was hardly a challenge. Magnus was already shrugging out of his shirt when Alec put out a hand to stop him. 

"No, leave it on," Alec said, grinning. 

"This obsession with the shirt is getting disturbing, darling," Magnus teased.

"I just want to savour the moment."

"If that's what you want, I know of a better way that doesn't require me to stay in a sweaty t-shirt," Magnus laughed. 

Alec watched in puzzlement as Magnus rolled out a thick rug on the floor. 

"Ever tried tantric sex?" Magnus asked. 

Alec shook his head. "And it has to be done on the floor?" 

"It's about, as you say, savouring the moment. If you do it on the bed, you'll want to sleep," Magnus replied. 

Once they were both naked, Magnus indicated that Alec should lie down on his back, then sat down cross-legged and scooted closer until Alec's ass was resting against Magnus' legs and Alec's legs were bracketing Magnus' body loosely. Magnus began to open him up slowly with one lubed finger, the other hand stroking Alec's inner thigh soothingly. 

"Breathe with me, Alexander," Magnus said as he added a second finger. "In through the nose and out through the mouth, and concentrate on the way that every breath fills you." 

"You want me to do breathing exercises? Seriously?" Alec asked in exasperation, voice strained as he tried to relax around the fingers twisting and scissoring inside him. 

"We've got time today. And you like it slow - or at least that's what you keep telling me," Magnus said, grinning, then crooked his fingers just enough to make Alec gasp and arch his back. 

" _Fuck_ , Magnus, right there! Fuck me already!" Alec panted.

"Not yet," Magnus replied, and moved his fingers away from Alec's prostate. 

"I hate you," Alec grumbled, and Magnus laughed merrily. 

"Make up your mind, Alexander Lightwood. You can't say you love me in one breath and you hate me in the next."

" _Magnus_."

"Breathe," Magnus reminded him, then added another finger.

By the time Magnus had three fingers sliding in and out of his body smoothly, Alec was shivering, his cock achingly hard and smearing precome all over his stomach. Magnus had been stoking his arousal for so long that his skin was tingling, the air too cool for his overheated body. Magnus wiped his hand and rolled on a condom, then guided Alec into his lap, lifting him bodily to get him into position. 

It was easy to forget that under all his proper suits and loose doctor coats, Magnus worked out. Even if he didn't have Alec's athlete stamina or reflexes, he could match Alec almost strength for strength if he wanted to, and Alec didn't mind admitting that the manhandling was really doing it for him. 

Alec braced his arms on Magnus' shoulders and Magnus tilted his head up to kiss him, sucking gently on his bottom lip as the head of his cock pushed through the slick ring of muscle. Alec tried vainly to sync his breathing with Magnus' and circle through his breaths the way Magnus had been trying to teach him as Magnus' cock stretched him open, but Magnus was too overcome as well, his own breathing off-tempo and laboured as Alec sank down inch by inch.

Their bodies were flush against each other now, Alec's cock trapped between them, their arms wrapped around each other and Alec's ankles crossed behind Magnus' lower back.

"Fuck, you're so deep inside me," Alec panted, and flexed his inner muscles around Magnus' cock.

Magnus moaned in response, jerking upwards uncontrollably and drawing an answering groan of pleasure from Alec. They began rocking together slowly; bodies slick with sweat, lube, and precome, breath mingling as they lost themselves in lingering, deep kisses. The pleasure between them was building and building, a slow burn that brought them to the peak but wasn't enough to let them fall over, making Alec felt like his entire body was vibrating with the need to come.

Alec pulled away from Magnus' lips reluctantly and leaned back, using his arms to support himself while he fucked himself on Magnus' cock. At this angle the cockhead was pressing right into his prostate, making even the gentle rocking motion they had going mind-blowingly intense. Alec threw his head back and moaned, too overwhelmed with pleasure to even form words, then moaned louder when both of Magnus' hands went to his cock, spreading lube and precome around as he stroked Alec in time to the rocking of his hips. Magnus' eyes were burning with want as he watched Alec work himself on his cock, looking half-drunk on the sight before him. He rubbed a thumb over the head of Alec's cock, then brought it to his mouth to lick the precome off with an appreciative groan that went straight to Alec's cock.

"Magnus... Magnus... I- _ah_!" 

In a few moments Alec was coming so hard he couldn't breathe, his release landing on both their abs, his arms threatening to give way from the intensity of the pleasure taking over. 

Magnus pulled Alec back into his arms and gave him a few moments before he resumed the slow rocking motion up into his body. Alec bit on his lower lip to stifle a whine when Magnus' cock dragged across his oversensitive prostate, wrapping his arms around Magnus' strong shoulders as Magnus began to pick up speed. 

The arms around Alec tightened, pulling him down to meet each upward thrust until Alec gave up trying to muffle the desperate sounds that were being fucked out of him as Magnus drove his cock into Alec's aching body. He could tell that Magnus was right at the edge as well, answering Alec's whimpering with helpless moans of his own as Alec's body clamped down on his cock. 

"God, _Alexander_..." Magnus gasped, breath coming out in harsh, sharp pants as his rhythm began to falter. Then he cried out and pushed himself as deep as he could go, shuddering as he came inside Alec.

They remained wrapped around each other for a little while longer. Alec closed his eyes, wanting to memorise how it felt to be in a safe cocoon of Magnus' arms and body, and let Magnus ease him down onto the rug, mumbling his discontent when Magnus pulled out of him. He must have dozed off, because Magnus was nudging him to wake him up.  

"Bed?" Magnus asked gently. 

Alec groaned and shook his head. Getting up seemed like too much effort at the moment and the rug wasn't too bad. "I'm fucked out and just wanna sleep. Wake me up when it's time for me to show up for the World Series." 

Magnus laughed and allowed himself to be pulled down into Alec's arms.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess we're going to the World Series! XD
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and I will return with the sequel when it's properly planned out.
> 
>  
> 
> _Baseball notes:_
> 
> **Perfect game** \- Where a pitcher (or combination of pitchers) pitches a game where no member of the opposing team reaches any of the bases. This means no hits, no walks, or any sort of foul or error that allows an opposing player to advance to a base. This feat has been achieved 23 times in MLB history.


End file.
